Are robots replacing us & how it relates to test automation?

Are robots replacing us & how it relates to test automation?

Ever since automation entered the scene, there has been intense debate about machines replacing humans. And its easy to see why – machines don’t make mistakes, they don’t crib about overtime, they don’t get tired, and they don’t need to be paid a salary. Considering the capitalist environment that we operate in, its not hard to guess why this debate ever came up in the first place.

Ever since the first industrial revolution, there has been mass hysteria about machines taking over our jobs. Since the current wave of robotics inch ever closer to AI or artificial intelligence, exaggerated claims of a robot uprising have become excellent clickbait for a ton of internet sites. However, what do the experts say?

Paresh Goel is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Career Power, and he is of the opinion that these fears have no basis. While automation has been around for a long time, the pace at which it is happening now is faster than ever. Sameer Bora, Head-Marketing and HR of Next Education says that when automation takes place, some jobs are taken away, but many more are created in its place. If a factory gets a machine to screw caps on toothpaste tubes, they’ll need to retain some of their employees to operate that machine. If certain software development tests are now automated, you need a tester who can write and run the test. He says that there is a displacement of workers that happens, and one needs to make sure that we are ready for the displacement, to keep up with the times.

So which are the jobs in danger of being displaced?

In short, anything that involves a lot of repetition, anything that is very mind numbing, easy and doesn’t involve an iota of creativity or human input will be automated. There has recently been a criticism of the corporate business model that says that a lot of the hyper specialized jobs that are given to people have no intrinsic value, and are detrimental to the personal growth of the people who have them. These employees end up feeling frustrated with their pointless labor, and the criticism linked this to the rising prevalence of depression in the current population.

Keeping the criticism in perspective, automation of menial tasks will lead to creative, meaningful opportunities being made available to a lot of people. One effort that employees will have to put in is that they have to keep learning new skills, and they will have to keep abreast of new developments in their fields. The old model of earning a degree or two and landing a job is near obsolete. Now, you’ll have to stay ahead of innovation, of development and you will have to keep learning.

Are robots taking our jobs away? Partly yes, they are. Is that entirely a bad thing? No. What automation is doing is that it is creating opportunities for humans to apply their effort and time in more fulfilling, productive ways. What automation is doing is evolving our work culture, just like we ourselves have evolved over the years. Automation is the simply the way to a brighter, happier future. And no one should be scared of that.

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